1984 Oldsmobile Regency smoking and rubber smell

car runs great, didnt drive this winter but always started itup every 3 or 4 days in the cold winter, when spring came it would start smoking under hood on passenger side toward back of engine and smell like rubber burning, my dad says it could just be oil that dripped on manifold over the winter from not driving it, but alwaysstarting it up, car has always been well maintained. im fraid it will catch on fire but he says to let it run to burn off what do you think? thanks